Combination garment bag and packing case luggage article

ABSTRACT

An article of luggage includes a garment bag enclosure and a packing case enclosure which advantageously cooperate with one another in a transportation state or condition and a use state or condition. The packing case enclosure is preferably connected to an inner panel of the garment bag enclosure. In the transportation condition, the garment bag enclosure folds over the top of the packing case enclosure and the luggage article is easily transported by carrying devices attached preferably to the exterior panel of the garment bag enclosure. In the use orientation, the interior panel of the garment bag enclosure is disconnected, and the packing case enclosure moves or pivots outward to an extended orientation. A divider panel provides access to the interior of the packing case enclosure while access to the garment bag enclosure is simultaneously available as a result of the detachment of the interior panel. In the use condition in which the packing case enclosure is in the extended orientation, the luggage article can be used to house garments on hangers and other smaller items within the packing case enclosure, thereby avoiding the necessity for unpacking and repacking the luggage article.

This invention relates to an article of luggage incorporating a garmentbag enclosure and a packing case enclosure in an improved andadvantageous combination, in which items can be more convenientlytransported and, possibly more importantly, used as the destinationwithout encountering the need to unpack the luggage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Garment bags have met with significant acceptance by travelers for manyreasons, including their relatively light weight which makes carryingthem easier, the ease with which they can be packed with clothes andother items, their flexibility to fit within certain otherwise confiningspaces, an ability to carry them into the passenger compartment ofcommercial passenger aircraft, and others. One of the commondisadvantages of garment bags is that it is difficult to confine smallitems such as shoes and cases for personal toiletry items within thegarment bags. Many travelers, rather than leave such smaller items loosein the garment bag, pack them in separate smaller suitcases. However,the necessity to use a separate smaller suitcase makes traveling moredifficult because the smaller suitcase must also be carried andaccounted for in addition to the garment bag.

Attempts have been made to make garment bags more useful as a singleluggage article. An invention described in U.S. application Ser. No.673,351, titled "Garment Bag With Improved Packing Capability", filedNov. 23, 1984, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,513, which is assigned to theassignee hereof, describes an improved garment bag in which pocket-likeenclosures are provided within the bag in which to pack a relativelysmall number of relatively small items, such as two shoes. Wardrobeluggage cases, which were commonly used many years ago, employedinternal compartments in which certain small items could be packed. Someof these internal compartments were even removable after the wardrobewas opened. Wardrobes fell into disfavor and remain in disfavor becausethey are basically very large, heavy, hard to handle, and they havesubstantially rigid outer shells or surfaces. Wardrobes are usually moreinconvenient for use than the present day large sized hard suitcases.More modern attempts have been made to attach garment bags and garmentbag-like enclosures to small cases, such as small suitcases or attachecases. Usually these attempts involve wrapping the garment bag aroundthe sides and bottom of the small case and attaching the ends of thegarment bag at the handle of the small case. Other attempts includefolding the garment bag-like enclosure in an accordion-like manner andconnecting the garment bag enclosure to one side of the small case.

The prior attempts at combining garment bags and small cases have allcentered primarily around attempts to make the transportation of the twoseparate luggage articles more convenient. If any actual increase inconvenience has been obtained by such prior arrangements, such increasesin convenience seem somewhat insignificant since such arrangements donot seem to enjoy significant popularity among travelers. Certainly itwould not appear that these prior attempts at combining garment bags andsmall cases have resulted in any significant improvements oradvancements in making the luggage article more readily usable in apersonal toiletry and clothing housing sense, as compared to that levelof convenience which two separate luggage articles would themselvesachieve.

It is against this general summary of background information that thepresent invention and the significant improvements available from thepresent invention have evolved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general terms, the present invention comprises a luggage articlewhich includes a flexible garment bag enclosure and a packing caseenclosure. The packing case enclosure is pivotably connected at thepacking case enclosure at an interior panel of the garment bagenclosure. The garment bag enclosure is of a length sufficient to foldover the top of and embrace the outside surface of the packing case,when the luggage article is in a state or condition suitable fortransportation. Means connects the top and bottom end side walls of thegarment bag enclosure and extends beneath the packing case enclosure tomaintain the luggage article in the transportation condition. To carrythe luggage article in this transportation condition, carrying means isattached, preferably to an exterior panel of the garment bag enclosure,by which the luggage article can be lifted and transported. Aftertransportation of the luggage article has been completed, the garmentbag enclosure is longitudinally extended or suspended generallyvertically, and the packing case enclosure pivots outward with respectto the garment bag enclosure to provide access to the space within thegarment bag enclosure and access to the space within the packing caseenclosure. Means extends from the garment bag enclosure to the packingcase enclosure to hold the packing case enclosure in the extendedorientation for use when the garment bag enclosure is suspendedvertically.

Access to the space within the garment bag enclosure and the pivotingfunction of the packing case enclosure is preferably achieved bydisconnecting the inner panel from the garment bag enclosure. Thepacking case is preferably attached to the inner panel. Access to thespace within the packing case is provided through an inside partitionpiece of the packing case enclosure. The inside partition piece, whenthe packing case is pivoted to a retracted orientation which it normallyoccupies during transportation, preferably defines in conjunction withthe interior panel, the interior marginal limit of the garment bagenclosure. A pivotable divider panel is preferably included in theinside partition piece to provide the access, and a strap extends to thedivider panel to hold it in a partially open position for access to thespace within the packing case enclosure. Means may be connected to thedivider panel for supporting the lower portions of long garments tocurve away from the lower regions of the garment bag enclosure, ratherthan allow the lower garment portions to wrinkle in an unsupportedcondition in the garment bag. A carrying shoulder strap can beselectively disconnected as a carrying means and used to support thepacking case enclosure in the extended orientation. The means forconnecting the garment bag ends to maintain the transportation conditionpreferably comprises a belt to which a hook member is connected at oneend, and at least one hook structure into which the hook member can beconnected.

When the luggage article is in the transportation condition, it can beconveniently carried. Preferably the size of the luggage article in thetransportation condition is limited so that it may be positioned beneaththe seats or as other carryon luggage in a commercial passengeraircraft. When the luggage article is positioned in the use conditionwith the packing case enclosure in the extended orientation, umimpededaccess to the space within the garment bag enclosure and the spacewithin the packing case enclosure is available. Garments can be retainedon the hangers in the opened garment bag enclosure without unpackingthem into closets. Similarly, other smaller clothing items can be leftin the packing case enclosure without unpacking them into drawers ofdressers. Many other cooperative advantages result from the particularcombination of the garment bag and packing case enclosures provided bythe present invention.

The invention is defined more completely in the appended claims. Apresently preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings and is described in the following description of apreferred embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the luggage article of the presentinvention illustrated in a transportation condition.

FIG. 2 is a left-hand end elevational view of the luggage article shownin FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the luggage article shown in FIGS. 1 and2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective plan view of the luggage article shown in FIG.1, but with the garment bag enclosure extending longitudinally andvertically with a top end side wall above a lower end side wall and withthe packing case enclosure shown in a retracted orientation which itoccupies when the luggage article is in the transportation condition.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front perspective view of the luggage article withthe garment bag enclosure generally in the orientation shown in FIG. 4,but with an interior panel disconnected and the packing case enclosureshown in an extended orientation which it occupies when the luggagearticle is in the one condition, and with certain portions broken awayfor clarity.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view similar to that shown in FIG. 5, butillustrating garments on hangers packed within the garment bagenclosure.

FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of the luggage article shown in FIG.6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the luggage article with the garment bagenclosure extending longitudinally and horizontally and with an outsidepartition piece of the packing case enclosure disconnected from borderpieces of the packing case enclosure and pivoted back to reveal andprovide access to the space within the packing case enclosure.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of certain structural elements incorporatedwithin the luggage article of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The presently preferred embodiment of the luggage article of the presentinvention is referenced 20 in the drawings. As is shown in FIGS. 1, 2and 3, the luggage article 20 is in a condition or state where it can beeasily transported or carried by a carrying handle 22 or a strap 24. Thestrap 24 is of sufficient length to function as a shoulder supportstrap. In the transportation condition, a flexible garment backenclosure 26 is folded over the top and sides of a packing caseenclosure 28. In order to maintain the garment bag enclosure 26 foldedover the packing case enclosure 28, and thereby maintain the luggagearticle 20 in the transportation condition as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3,connection means in the form of an elongated connector belt 30, a hookmember 32 connected to the end of the belt 30, and a series of loopstructures 34 are provided. The belt 30 is connected to one longitudinalend of the garment bag enclosure 26 and extends beneath the bottommarginal area or portion of the packing case enclosure 28. The hook 32connects to one of the loop structures 34 positioned near the otherlongitudinal end of the garment bag enclosure. The carrying means forthe article 20, such as the handle 22 and strap 24, is preferablyconnected at the exterior of the garment bag enclosure 26 and can thusbe used to support the luggage 20 in the transportation condition. Theluggage 20 can therefore be transported as an integral unit with all ofthe convenience of a relatively small or medium sized suitcase, andwithout the inconvenience of separately carrying and accounting for agarment bag and a small case. Furthermore, the dimensions of the luggage20 are preferably such that the luggage 20 will fit beneath the seat ofa commercial passenger aircraft, thereby allowing the luggage to becarried on to the passenger compartment.

In order to use the luggage 20, either by packing it or actually usingit for personal convenience after the transportation function has beencompleted, the hook 32 is disconnected from the loop structure 34(FIG. 1) and the garment bag enclosure 28 is extended longitudinally andpreferably vertically suspended as is illustrated in FIG. 4. Generallyspeaking, the hook 32 will be connected to the upper edge of a door or acloset bar to support the garment bag enclosure in the generallyvertical orientation. Initially upon extending the garment bag enclosureas shown in FIG. 4, the packing case enclosure 28 is in a retractedorientation adjoining the garment bag enclosure 26, just as it is whenin the transportation condition (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3).

The typical use condition of the luggage 20 is illustrated in FIG. 5.The packing case enclosure 28 is pivoted outward into an extendedorientation with respect to the garment bag enclosure 26. The shoulderstrap 24 has been disconnected from its carrying configuration at theexterior of the garment bag enclosure 26 (FIG. 1) and has been connectedbetween the garment bag enclosure and the packing case enclosure in themanner illustrated in FIG. 5 to support the packing case enclosure 28 inthe extended orientation. A pivotable divider panel 35 pivots upward toprovide access into the space within the packing case enclosure 28. Astrap 36 extends from the garment bag enclosure 26 for the purpose ofholding the divider panel 35 in a position to provide access into thespace of the packing case enclosure 28.

In the use condition illustrated in FIG. 5, access to the space withinthe garment bag enclosure 26 is available for packing and unpacking theclothes without interference from the packing case enclosure 28 whichhas been pivoted to the extended orientation. Similarly, access to thespace within the packing case enclosure 28 is available withoutinterference from the garment bag enclosure 26. As a result, the luggage20 can be used with significant convenience. The garments within thegarment bag enclosure 26 can be left suspended therein on their hangersuntil they are to be worn and the luggage 20 can function in this regardsomewhat as a closet. The user need not necessarily unpack the garmentbag after arriving at the destination. The smaller items of clothing andother personal toiletry items can be left within the packing caseenclosure 28 when it is in the extended position. Again, there is nonecessity to unpack these items into drawers of dressers. In essence,the luggage 20 allows the user to maintain his or her clothing and otherpersonal toiletry items in an essential state of readiness for immediatetransportation should the need arise, and the luggage 20 avoidsexpending the extra effort in packing and unpacking the luggage afterarriving at and leaving from the destination.

The details of the structural elements and their cooperation andfunction in achieving the improvements and advantages of the luggage 20can now be more fully described. The garment bag enclosure 26 includesan exterior panel 38 having a generally rectangular configuration inwhich the longer dimension extends substantially in the direction of thelength of the garment bag enclosure, which is vertical as is shown inFIGS. 4 and 5. An interior panel 40 is also part of the garment bagenclosure 26 and is spaced from the exterior panel 38 by side walls todefine the interior space of the garment bag enclosure 26. The sidewalls include a top end transverse or horizontal side wall 42, a bottomend transverse or horizontal side wall 44 and a left-hand longitudinalor vertical side wall 46 and a right-hand longitudinal or vertical sidewall 48. The side walls may be provided by means of separate piecesconnected to the panels as shown or they may be provided by means ofjoining the appropriate edges of the panels in the well known "envelope"construction which is not shown. The packing case enclosure 26 includesan outside marginal or partition piece 50, an inside marginal orpartition piece 52 and border pieces which space the outside and insidepartition pieces from one another to define the interior space of thepacking case enclosure 28. The border pieces include a top border piece54, a bottom border piece 56, a left border piece 58, and a right borderpiece 60.

As is shown in FIG. 5, the divider panel 35 forms a part of the insidepartition piece 52. A zipper 62 serves as means for attaching thedivider panel 35 as a part of the inside partition piece 52. The zipper62 also serves as means for detaching the free edges of the dividerpanel 35 from the remaining portions of the inside partition piece 52,to allow the divider panel 35 to hinge at an edge location adjoining thebottom border piece 56 and the bottom side wall 44. This hinging orpivoting function is achieve by means of the flexibility of the materialfrom which the divider panel 35 and inside partition piece 52 areformed, for example. Permanently connected to and extending upwardlyfrom the inside partition piece 52 is the interior panel 40 of thegarment bag enclosure. This permanent connection is achieved by meansjoining the interior panel 40 and the packing case enclosure, forexample sewing. Thus, the inside partition piece 52 and the attacheddivider panel 35 also function as a part of the interior panel 40 inenclosing the space within the garment bag enclosure 26.

To operatively disconnect the packing case enclosure 28 from the garmentbag enclosure 26, thereby allowing the packing case enclosure 28 topivot to the extended position in which the inside partition piece 52extends at a predetermined intersecting angle with the exterior panel 38as shown in FIG. 5, and thereby also providing access to the spacewithin the garment bag enclosure 26, at least one and preferably twozippers 64 are opened from the state shown in FIG. 4 to the state shownin FIG. 5. The zippers 64 extend around the periphery of the interiorpanel 40 and the side walls 42, 46 and 48, but do not extend between thebottom side wall 44 and the packing case enclosure 28 at its bottomborder piece 56. An integral flexible connection of the material extendsbetween the garment bag enclosure 26 and the packing case enclosure 28at the bottom side wall 44 and bottom border piece 56. A doubler panel66 (FIG. 3) extends between the bottom side wall 44 and the bottomborder piece 56 at the exterior surface of the luggage 20. The doublerpanel 66 is also flexible but provides added strength for allowing thepacking case enclosure to pivot to the extended orientation. The packingcase enclosure 28 is thereby permanently connected to the garment bagenclosure 26, and the packing case enclosure 28 is also able to pivot tothe extended orientation. The teeth for the zippers 64 also extend alongthe left and right border pieces 58 and 60 to allow the zipper to holdthe packing case enclosure 28 in the retracted orientation (FIG. 4) whenthe zippers 64 are closed and allow the packing case enclosure 28 tomove to the extended orientation (FIG. 5) when the zippers 64 areopened. The zippers 64 are thus one example of means for selectivelyconnecting the packing case enclosure to the lower portions of the leftand right side walls of the garment bag enclosure.

Support feet 68 (FIG. 3) are attached to the doubler panel 66 and to thetop side wall 42. The support feet 68 serve as means for supporting theluggage 20 from a horizontal surface when in the transportationcondition as is shown in FIG. 2.

To enable the shoulder strap 24 to also function advantageously as meansextending between the garment bag enclosure 26 and the packing caseenclosure 28 for the purpose of holding the packing case enclosure inthe extended orientation as shown in FIG. 5, means such as latchingdevices 70 are connected at each end of the shoulder strap 24. Thelatching devices 70 are connected to rings 72 attached at the exteriorpanel 38 of the garment bag enclosure when the strap 24 is used as ashoulder carrying strap, as is illustrated in FIG. 1. The latchingdevices 70 are disconnected from the rings 72 (FIG. 1) and are connectedbetween a ring 74 attached to the belt 30 and a ring 76 attached nearthe top border piece 54 at the inside partition piece 52 of the packingcase enclosure. The location of the ring 74 positions the latchingdevice 70 at the upper end of the shoulder strap 24 near the top sidewall 42. The rings 72, 74 and 76 are conventional rigid wire itemsattached by conventional means such as by flaps sewn into the materialof the luggage 20.

In order to hold the divider panel 35 at the angle with respect to theinside partition piece 52 and to thereby provide access to the spacewithin the packing case enclosure 28, the strap 36 includes a snap 78 atits outside end. The snap 78 connects to a fitting 80 formed at theupper free edge of the divider panel 35.

In order to provide access to the space within the packing caseenclosure 28 when the packing case enclosure is not in the extendedorientation, the outside partition piece 50 is pivotably connected tothe packing case enclosure as is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 8. Theoutside partition piece 50 is pivotably and permanently connected at oneedge to a border piece, for example, the bottom border piece 56. Zippers82 extend around the left and right border pieces 58 and 60 and the topborder piece 54, and serves as examples of means which allow the outsidepartition piece 50 to be selectively attached to the border pieces asshown in FIG. 4 or detached from the border pieces and pivoted toprovide access to the interior space of the garment bag enclosure 28 asis shown in FIG. 8.

A pocket 84 may be formed as a part of the outside partition piece 50 byuse of multiple layers of fabric, and the pocket may be closed at itsupper end by a zipper 86, in the usual manner. Similarly, exteriorpockets may be formed in the exterior panel 38 of the garment bagenclosure, and such pockets closed by zippers 88 and 90, as shown inFIG. 7.

With the packing case enclosure in the extended orientation, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, garments 92 on hangers 94 can easily be packed or loadedinto the space within the garment bag enclosure 26. A connecting deviceknown as a trolley 96 (FIG. 5) is connected to the top side wall 42. Thehooked ends of the hangers 94 fit into the trolley 96 and allow thegarments 92 to be suspended from the hangers and extend downward in thespace within the garment bag toward the bottom side wall 44 (FIG. 5). Toaid in maintaining the garments 92 in position within the garment bag, amiddle belt 98 is connected to the side walls 46 and 48. Connectorportions 100 at the ends of the belt 98 allow the belt 98 to be fastenedover approximately the mid-section of the garments 92. For those longgarments 92 which extend in length greater than the length of thegarment bag enclosure 26, the lower garment portions can be attached tothe divider panel 35 by use of belts 102 and 104. The belts 102 and 104include connecting devices at their ends to fit over the lower portionsof the long garments as shown in FIG. 6. By connecting the lowerportions of the long garments with the belts 102 and 104, the lowerportions of long garments can be held above the bottom side wall 44 ofthe garment bag enclosure. The lower portions of the longer garments arefolded over or doubled back when the packing case enclosure is in theretracted orientation (FIG. 4). The lower portions of the longergarments thereby curve upward away from the bottom of the packing caseenclosure and are not allowed to fall into heaps where they becomewrinkled, as is typical in many garment bags. The advantages of holdingthe lower portions of longer garments off of the bottom of garment bagsare more completely described in the aforementioned U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 673,351.

The luggage 20 can be conveniently packed and unpacked when the garmentbag enclosure 26 is in a horizontally extended position as is shown inFIG. 8, and the packing case enclosure 28 is also in a horizontalextended orientation. In this condition of use, which is notspecifically illustrated, the packing case enclosure extends beyond thebottom side wall of the garment bag enclosure, and the divider panel 35faces upward. Garments on hangers can be packed into the space withinthe garment bag enclosure by laying them horizontally into the garmentbag enclosure. Articles are packed into the packing case enclosure bylifting the divider panel 35 to provide access into the packing caseenclosure. The long garments, such as those shown in FIG. 6, can also bepacked in a similar manner, by placing the lower portions of the longgarments on top of the divider panel 35 and connecting the belts 102 and104 (FIG. 5).

By providing access to the interior space of the packing case enclosurethrough either the pivoting divider panel 35 or the outside partitionpiece 50, the packing case enclosure can be packed or unpacked when itis either in the retracted orientation as shown in FIG. 8 or in theextended orientation as shown in FIG. 5 or as described in the aboveparagraph.

Depending upon the thickness of the garment bag enclosure when it ispacked, adjustments are available for maintaining the luggage 20 in thetransportation condition as shown in FIG. 1. As is shown in FIG. 7, aplurality of loop structures 34 are arranged in a linear fashion. Thehook member 32 is inserted through the appropriate one of the loopstructures 34 to firmly hold the garment bag enclosure around thepacking case enclosure in the transportation condition.

The length of the shoulder strap 24 is also adjustable, by aconventional connector 106, which allows the strap to fold back onitself in the usual manner. The user can adjust the length of theshoulder strap 24 for convenience in carrying the luggage 20 in thetransportation condition. The length of the shoulder strap 24 can alsobe adjusted when it is used as a means for holding the packing caseenclosure in the extended orientation as shown in FIG. 5, in order toobtain a desired degree of extended orientation.

In order to provide support and rigidity for the flexible, preferablyfabric, marginal components of the garment bag and packing caseenclosures, certain stiffening elements are provided, as is illustratedin FIGS. 5 and 9. These stiffening elements generally include a flexiblewire-like bead 110 which extends around the exterior panel 38 of thegarment bag enclosure, a rigid wire bead 112 which extends around theoutside partition piece 50 of the packing case enclosure and anotherbead 114 which extends around the periphery of the divider panel 35. Arelatively semi-rigid thin fabric frame 116 is enclosed within theborder pieces of the packing case enclosure. A relatively rigid top endreinforcement 118 is included within the top end side wall 42 and aportion of the adjoining vertical side walls 46 and 48 of the garmentbag enclosure. The reinforcement 118 has connected thereto, the belt 30and the trolley 96 to enable the distribution of forces over the luggage20 when it is in the use condition. The frame 116 of the packing caseenclosure is also useful in maintaining the packing case enclosure inthe extended orientation for use, since the ring 76 is connectedadjoining it. A relatively rigid carrying support 120 extendstransversely with respect to the length of the exterior panel of thegarment bag enclosure. The carrying support 120 has connected theretothe carrying handle 22 and the rings 72 (FIG. 1) to which the shoulderstrap 24 is connected. The rings 72 are connected at positions adjoiningthe outer ends of the support 120 at the vertical side walls 46 and 48.Accordingly, the support 120 distributes the force necessary to lift theluggage 20 in the transportation condition over a substantial area ofthe exterior panel of the garment bag enclosure.

With the exception of the various components mentioned, the marginalelements of the luggage will normally be formed of fabric, and thefabric pieces will be sewn together in the usual manner in theconstruction of the luggage 20.

The combination of the garment bag enclosure with the packing caseenclosure creates a single piece of the luggage 20 which isadvantageously used for transportation garments and smaller items. Boththe packing case enclosure and the garment bag enclosure cooperate withone another to make the luggage effective to house personal toiletry andclothing items, rather than requiring unpacking of the luggage. Otherand numerous specific advantages and improvements also result.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown with adegree of specificity. It should be understood, however, that thespecificity of this description has been made by way of preferredexample. The invention itself is defined by the scope of the claimsappended hereto.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A luggage article, comprising:a flexiblegarment bag enclosure comprising an exterior elongated panel, andinterior elongated panel, and means providing side walls between theinterior and exterior panels the interior and the exterior panels havingtheir longer dimensions oriented generally longitudinally, the sidewalls including a top transverse end side wall, a bottom transverse endside wall, a left longitudinal side wall and a right longitudinal sidewall, the panels and side walls defining a space within the garment bagenclosure for receiving garments on hangers attached near the top endside wall; and a packing case enclosure including means for permanentlyconnecting the packing case enclosure to the interior panel and meansfor pivotably connecting the packing case enclosure to the bottom endside wall and means for selectively connecting the packing caseenclosure to the lower portion of the left and right longitudinal sidewalls; the garment bag enclosure extending sufficiently longitudinallyto fold over and substantially embrace a top border piece and an outsidepartition piece of the packing case enclosure when in a transportationcondition, the top end and the bottom end side walls being orientedgenerally in alignment with a bottom border piece of the packing caseenclosure when in the transportation condition.
 2. A luggage article asdefined in claim 1 wherein:said means for selectively connecting thepacking case enclosure comprises means for selectively attaching theinterior panel to at least one of the side walls and for selectivelydetaching the interior panel from the one side wall; and said means forpivotably connecting the packing case enclosure allows a pivotablemovement from a retracted orientation in which the packing caseenclosure adjoins the space within the garment bag enclosure to anextended orientation in which the packing case enclosure extends awayfrom the garment bag enclosure to allow access to the space within thegarment bag enclosure without interference from the packing caseenclosure, the packing case enclosure being in the retracted orientationwhen the luggage article is in the transportation condition.
 3. Aluggage article as defined in claim 2 further comprising means extendingfrom the garment bag enclosure to the packing case enclosure forsupporting the packing case enclosure in the extended orientation whenthe garment bag enclosure is positioned generally vertically with thetop end side wall above the bottom end side wall.
 4. A luggage articleas defined in claim 2 wherein the packing case enclosure also includesan inside partition piece which extends generally in alignment with theinterior panel when the interior panel is attached to the one side walland the packing case enclosure is in a retracted orientation.
 5. Aluggage article, comprising:a flexible garment bag enclosure comprisingan exterior elongated panel, and interior elongated panel, and meansproviding side walls between the interior and exterior panels, theinterior and the exterior panels having their longer dimensions orientedgenerally longitudinally, the side walls including a top transverse endside wall, a bottom transverse end side wall, a left longitudinal sidewall and a right longitudinal side wall, the panels and side wallsdefining a space within the garment bag enclosure for receiving garmentson hangers attached near the top end side wall; and a packing caseenclosure comprising an inside partition piece, an outside partitionpiece and border pieces extending between the inside and outsidepartition pieces to define a space within the packing case enclosureadapted for receiving items to be individually packed, means forpivotably connecting the packing case enclosure relative to the bottomend side wall to allow pivotable movement from an retracted orientationin which the inside partition piece extends generally in adjacency withthe garment bag space and to an extended orientation in which the insidepartition piece extends generally at a predetermined intersecting anglewith respect to the exterior elongated panel; the predeterminedintersecting angle in the extended orientation allowing access to thegarment bag and packing case spaces without substantial interferencefrom the packing case enclosure and the garment bag enclosure,respectively; and means extending between the garment bag enclosure andthe packing case enclosure for supporting the packing case enclosure inthe extended orientation when the garment bag enclosure extendsgenerally vertically with the top end side wall above the bottom endside wall.
 6. A luggage article as defined in claim 5 further comprisingmeans in the outside partition piece for providing selective access intothe space within the packing case enclosure.
 7. A luggage article asdefined in claim 5 wherein the garment bag enclosure extendssufficiently longitudinally to fold over and substantially embrace a topborder piece and the outside partition piece of the packing caseenclosure when the packing case enclosure is in a retracted orientationand when the luggage article is in a transportation condition.
 8. Aluggage article, comprising:a flexible garment bag enclosure comprisingan exterior elongated panel, and interior elongated panel, and meansproviding side walls between the interior and exterior panels, theinterior and the exterior panels having their longer dimensions orientedgenerally longitudinally, the side walls including a top transverse endside wall; a bottom transverse end side wall, a left longitudinal sidewall and a right longitudinal side wall, the panels and side wallsdefining a space within the garment bag enclosure for receiving garmentson hangers attached near the top end side wall, and a packing caseenclosure including means for permanently connecting the packing caseenclosure to the interior panel at a location adjoining and above thebottom end side wall; the garment bag enclosure extending sufficientlyin length to fold over and substantially embrace all outside surfaces ofthe packing case enclosure except a bottom portion of the packing caseenclosure, the bottom portion of the packing case enclosure adapted torest on a horizontal surface when the luggage article is in atransportation condition; carrying means connected to the exterior panelat an operative location in the center region between the top and bottomend side walls by which to carry the luggage article when in thetransportation condition; and connection means for selectively extendingbetween the bottom end side wall and the top end side wall and under thebottom portion of the packing case enclosure to maintain the article inthe transportation condition.
 9. A luggage article as defined in claim 8further comprising:means for pivotably connecting the packing caseenclosure to allow pivotable movement from a retracted orientation inwhich the packing case enclosure adjoins the space within the garmentbag enclosure to an extended orientation in which the packing caseenclosure extends away from the garment bag enclosure to allow access tothe space within the garment bag enclosure without interference from thepacking case enclosure, the packing case enclosure being in theretracted orientation when the luggage article is in the transportationcondition.
 10. A luggage article as defined in claim 9 furthercomprising means extending from the garment bag enclosure to the packingcase enclosure for supporting the packing case enclosure in the extendedorientation when the garment bag enclosure is positioned generallyvertically with the top end side wall above the bottom end side wall.11. A luggage article as defined in claim 9 wherein the packing caseenclosure also includes an inside partition piece which extendsgenerally in alignment with the interior panel when the interior panelis attached to the one side wall and the packing case enclosure is in aretracted orientation.
 12. A luggage article as defined in claim 8wherein the connection means further comprises an elongated member, afirst connector device connected to one end of the elongated member, anda second connector device connected to the exterior panel, the first andsecond connector devices adapted to interconnect with one another.
 13. Aluggage article as defined in claim 12 wherein the first connectordevice comprises a hook member, the second connector device comprises atleast one loop structure, and the hook member is adapted for fittinginto the loop structure.
 14. A luggage article as defined in claim 13wherein the second connector device comprises a series of loopstructures arranged in a predetermined order to allow a correspondingdifferent number of positions at which the hook member can be connectedto achieve adjustment.
 15. A luggage article as defined in claim 13wherein the hook member is also adapted for suspending the luggagearticle with the garment bag enclosure extending vertically with the topend side wall above the bottom end side wall.
 16. A luggage article asdefined in claim 12 wherein the first connector device includes meansfor suspending the luggage article with the garment bag enclosureextending vertically with the top end side wall above the bottom endside wall.
 17. A luggage article, comprising:a flexible garment bagenclosure comprising an exterior elongated panel, and interior elongatedpanel, and means providing side walls between the interior and exteriorpanels, the interior and the exterior panels having their longerdimensions oriented generally longitudinally, the side walls including atop transverse end side wall, a bottom transverse end side wall, a leftlongitudinal side wall and a right longitudinal side wall, the panelsand side walls defining a space within the garment bag enclosure forreceiving garments on hangers attached near the top end side wall; and apacking case enclosure including means for pivotably connecting thepacking case enclosure to the garment bag enclosure to pivot from aretracted orientation in which the packing case enclosure adjoins thespace within the garment bag enclosure to an extended orientation inwhich the packing case enclosure extends away from the garment bagenclosure to allow access to the space within the garment bag enclosurewithout interference from the packing case enclosure, the packing caseenclosure comprising an inside partition piece, and outside partitionpiece and border pieces extending between the inside and outsidepartition pieces to define a space within the packing case enclosureadapted for receiving items to be individually packed; the insidepartition piece includes means for allowing selective access through theinside partition piece to the space within the packing case enclosurewhen the packing case enclosure is in the extended orientation; and theoutside partition piece includes means for providing selective accessthrough the outside partition piece to the space within the packing caseenclosure when the packing case enclosure is in the retractedorientation.
 18. A luggage article as defined in claim 17 furthercomprising means extending from the garment bag enclosure to the packingcase enclosure for supporting the packing case enclosure in the extendedorientation when the garment bag enclosure is positioned generallyvertically with the top end side wall above the bottom end side wall.19. A luggage article as defined in claim 17 wherein the means forallowing selective access through the inside partition piece to thespace within the packing case enclosure comprises a divider panelpivotably connected at a location adjoining a border piece.
 20. Aluggage article as defined in claim 19 wherein the divider panel ispivotably connected adjacent to the bottom end side wall.
 21. A luggagearticle as defined in claim 19 further comprising means extending fromthe garment bag enclosure to selectively connect to the divider paneland operative for holding the divider panel in a position in whichaccess to the space within the packing case enclosure is provided and tosimultaneously allow access to the space within the garment bagenclosure when the packing case enclosure is in the extended position.22. A luggage article as defined in claim 20 wherein the divider panelincludes means connected on the side facing the garment bag enclosureand operative for holding the bottom portions of garments within thegarment bag enclosure of sufficient length to extend from the hangers atthe top end side wall along the garment bag enclosure to the bottom endside wall in a manner to curve away from the bottom end side wallagainst the inside divider panel.
 23. A luggage article as defined inclaim 17 wherein the garment bag enclosure extends sufficientlylongitudinally to fold over and substantially embrace a top border pieceand the outside partition piece of the packing case enclosure when thepacking case enclosure is in a retracted orientation and when theluggage article is in a transportation condition.
 24. A luggage articleas defined in claims 3, 5 10 or 18 wherein the means for supporting thepacking case enclosure in the extended orientation comprises anelongated member and means for selectively connecting the elongatedmember to extend generally from a first location adjoining a borderpiece of the packing case enclosure to a second location adjoining aside wall of the garment bag enclosure.
 25. A luggage article as definedin claim 24 wherein the elongated member includes an elongated strap andmeans operative at the ends of the strap for selectively connecting thestrap to the exterior panel.
 26. A luggage article as defined in claim25 wherein the elongated strap is of sufficient length to function as ashoulder carrying strap for the luggage article when attached to theexterior panel.
 27. A luggage article as defined in claim 26 furthercomprising means for adjusting the length of the elongated strap.
 28. Aluggage article as defined in claims 5, 4 or 11 wherein the insidepartition piece includes means for allowing selective access through theinside partition piece to the space within the packing case enclosurewhen in the extended orientation.
 29. A luggage article as defined inclaim 28 wherein the means for allowing selective access through theinside partition piece to the space within the packing case enclosurecomprises a divider panel pivotably connected at a location adjoining aborder piece.
 30. A luggage article as defined in claim 29 wherein saidlocation is adjacent to the bottom end side wall.
 31. A luggage articleas defined in claim 29 further comprising means extending from thegarment bag enclosure to selectively connect to the divider panel andoperative for holding the divider panel in a position in which access tothe space within the packing case enclosure is provided and tosimultaneously allow access to the space within the garment bagenclosure when the packing case enclosure is in the extended position.32. A luggage article as defined in claim 30 wherein the divider panelincludes means connected on the side facing the garment bag enclosureand operative for holding the bottom portions of garments within thegarment bag enclosure of sufficient length to extend from the hangers atthe top end side wall along the garment bag enclosure to the bottom endside wall in a manner to curve away from the bottom end side wallagainst the inside divider panel.
 33. A luggage article as defined inclaim 6 or 17 wherein said means in the outside partition piece forproviding selective access into the space within the packing caseenclosure further comprises:means pivotably connecting substantially thewhole outside partition piece to one border piece, and means forselectively attaching the outside partition piece to the other borderpieces and for selectively detaching the outside partition piece fromthe other border pieces.
 34. A luggage article as defined in claim 1, 7or 22 further comprising means for carrying the luggage article when inthe transportation condition, the carrying means being connected to theexterior panel at an operative location between the top end and bottomend side walls.
 35. A luggage article as defined in claim 34 wherein thecarrying means comprises an elongated strap connected to the exteriorpanel at locations adjacent the side walls.
 36. A luggage article asdefined in claim 35 wherein the elongated strip is disconnectable at itsends from the locations at which it is connected.
 37. A luggage articleas defined in claim 36 wherein the elongated strap is of lengthsufficient to function as a shoulder carrying strap for the luggagearticle when in the transportation condition.
 38. A luggage article asdefined in claim 37 further comprising means for adjusting the length ofthe elongated strap.
 39. A luggage article as defined in claims 1 or 7further comprising support feet means connected at a bottom portion ofthe packing case enclosure for supporting the luggage article on ahorizontal surface when in the transportation condition.
 40. A luggagearticle as defined in claims 1, 7, or 23 further comprising connectionmeans for retaining a portion of the interior panel near the top endside wall adjoining the outside partition piece when the luggage articleis in the transportation condition.
 41. A luggage article as defined inclaim 40 wherein said connection means comprises an elongated memberextending from the bottom end side wall under a bottom portion of thepacking case enclosure to the top end side wall.
 42. A luggage articleas defined in claim 41 wherein the connection means further comprises afirst connector device connected to one end of the elongated member anda second connector device connected to the exterior panel, the first andsecond connector devices adapted to interconnect with one another.
 43. Aluggage article as defined in claim 42, wherein the first connectordevice comprises a hook member, the second connector device comprises atleast one loop structure, and the hook member is adapted for fittinginto the loop structure.
 44. A luggage article as defined in claim 43wherein the second connector device comprises a series of loopstructures arranged in a predetermined order to allow a correspondingdifferent number of positions at which the hook member can be connectedto achieve adjustment.
 45. A luggage article as defined in claim 43wherein the hook member is also adapted for suspending the luggagearticle with the garment bag enclosure extending vertically with the topend side wall above the bottom end side wall.
 46. A luggage article asdefined in claim 42 wherein the first connector device includes meansfor suspending the luggage article with the garment bag enclosureextending vertically with the top end side wall above the bottom endside wall. .Iadd.
 47. A luggage article, comprising:a flexible bagenclosure comprising elongated panels including at least a flexibleexterior panel and having an interior space within which to pack andhold garments on hangers: a packing case enclosure comprising inside andoutside partition pieces and a stiffening element supporting theperiphery of at least one of the partition pieces and having an interiorspace within which to pack relatively smaller items; means for pivotablyconnecting the garment bag and packing case enclosures for positioningthe two enclosures in a use orientation while pivotably connectedrelative to one another wherein the interior spaces of each enclosuremay be accessed without substantial interference from the otherenclosure, and for positioning the two enclosures in a transportationorientation wherein the garment bag enclosure folds over the packingcase enclosure embraces at least the outside partition piece; means forholding the garment bag enclosure in the transportation orientation tocreate an integral unit capable of being supported from the exteriorpanel of the garment bag enclosure; and means for supporting the packingcase enclosure at an angle extending from the vertical when the garmentbag enclosure is in a vertical orientation during use..Iaddend. .Iadd.48. A luggage article as defined in claim 47, furthercomprising:carrying means connected to the exterior panel of the garmentbag enclosure for supporting the article as the integral unit..Iaddend..Iadd.49. A luggage article as defined in claim 47, wherein: saidpivotably connecting means includes zipper means..Iaddend. .Iadd.50. Aluggage article as defined in claim 47, wherein: in the transportationorientation, the interior spaces of the garment bag enclosure andpacking case enclosure are adjacent one another; and in the useorientation, the interior spaces of the garment bag enclosure and thepacking case are separated from one another..Iaddend. .Iadd.51. Aluggage article as defined in claim 47, wherein: said supporting meansextends between the garment bag enclosure and the packing caseenclosure..Iaddend. .Iadd.52. A luggage article as defined in claim 51,further comprising: means in the inside partition piece for allowingselective access to the interior space within the packing caseenclosure..Iaddend. .Iadd.53. A luggage article as defined in claim 52,wherein: said means for allowing selective access comprises a pivotablepanel..Iaddend. .Iadd.54. A luggage article as defined in claim 47,wherein: said holding means comprises connection means extending betweenlongitudinally opposite ends of the garment bag enclosure and beneaththe lower exterior portion of the packing case enclosure, when in thetransportation orientation..Iaddend. .Iadd.55. A luggage article asdefined in claim 47, wherein: the garment bag enclosure extends in alongitudinal dimension; and further comprising:means connected to thepacking case enclosure and operative with respect to the bottom portionsof relatively long garments packed within the garment bag enclosurewhich are of sufficient length to extend beyond the length of theinterior space of the garment bag enclosure, for retaining the bottomportions of the long garments in a reverse curve from one end of thegarment bag enclosure against the inside partition piece of the packingcase enclosure..Iaddend. .Iadd.56. A luggage article as defined in claim47, wherein: the stiffening element of the packing enclosure isrelatively less flexible in the longitudinal dimension of the elongatedpanels of the garment bag enclosure, then the garment bag enclosure isflexible in the same dimension when in the transportationorientation..Iaddend.